Monday, April 13, 1998
Bruins bide time, stealing victory from Wildcats
BASEBALL: Patience in face of defeat pays off late with
offensive blowout
By Vytas Mazeika
Daily Bruin Staff
The UCLA baseball team was not in a hurry on Sunday. In fact,
patience is what allowed the Bruins (17-24 overall, 10-14 in
Six-Pac) to score nine runs in the sixth inning en route to a 12-7
victory over conference foe Arizona (27-18, 8-14).
After Saturday’s rain out and Friday’s emotional 15-7
come-from-behind victory, the Bruins fell behind 6-1 and did not
get their first hit until an Aldo Pinto home run in the bottom of
the fourth.
Bruin starter Chad Cislak suffered control problems in the first
inning as Arizona jumped to a 3-0 lead. But UCLA pitching coach Tim
Leary was patient enough to allow Cislak to work 4 2/3 innings
before pulling him.
Then freshman left-hander Bobby Roe, the team’s closer, came
into the game in the fifth inning.
"Leary did a great job milking Cislak along and we wanted Roe to
finish," UCLA head coach Gary Adams said. "And it turned out just
right. I tipped my hat out to Leary for that. He could’ve lost
patience with Cislak and taken him out. But Cislak persevered."
With UCLA down 6-1 to start the sixth inning, the Wildcats put
runners on first and third with no outs. Roe then took the game
into his hands by striking out third baseman Omar Moraga and
inducing a double play from first baseman and clean-up hitter Kenny
Corley.
The confidence gained in the top of the sixth lifted the team’s
spirits and contributed to the offensive outburst in the bottom of
the inning.
"When our team came off the field, our bench was excited and our
team was excited," Adams said. "Going up to bat that inning we had
a positive attitude again. We stopped them. We put the break on
them and we felt good about it. That was the turning point of the
game.
"We got nine runs (in the bottom of the sixth), but I’ll tell
you what, if Roe had let one of the those runners score I guarantee
you we wouldn’t have gotten nine."
With only a meagre three hits, UCLA sent 14 hitters to the plate
and scored nine runs in the bottom of the sixth. Eight batters were
walked (twice with the bases already loaded) and eight times
hitters came to the plate with the bases loaded.
"I almost pitched another inning in the bullpen trying to get
warm," Roe said. "We were being real patient. That’s what we need
to be if they’re not going to give us what we want."
The key to the offensive outburst was not only the eight walks
allowed by three Arizona pitchers that inning, but senior first
baseman Cassidy Olson’s at bat late in the inning.
After falling behind 0-2, Olson fouled off several pitches
before lining a 2-2 pitch up the middle. His two-run single gave
the Bruins a more comfortable 10-6 lead and was the culmination of
the offensive outburst.
Just for good measure, the Bruins added two runs with
back-to-back blasts by Eric Valent (19th homer of the season) and
Bill Scott (3rd).
"(Olson’s hit) lifted me," Adams said. "I never told him how it
made me feel, but I’ll tell you … the adrenaline going through me
and the emotion was so great. I was excited."
Patience really is a virtue.JAMIE SCANLON-JACOBS/Daily Bruin
Jack Santora makes his way toward third base in a game earlier
this season. On Sunday, the Bruins defeated Arizona, 12-7.